Notes and Editorial Reviews

Life isn’t fair. Opera singers are not supposed to look like Anna Netrebko. One can only imagine the envious glances thrown her way by corpulent colleagues. Billed on the cover as ANNA Netrebko, the Anna in 20-point type, the producers are quite aware of Netrebko’s assets. No doubt DG is hoping she will be the operatic equivalent of that other Russian ANNA, as in Kournikova. The happy news is yes, Anna Netrebko is every bit as attractive, perhaps even more so than Anna Kournikova, and though no tennis expert, I’m confident that Anna Netrebko sings better than her compatriot plays her sport. No, life is not fair; an opera singer should never look this exquisite and sing beautifully as well!

In her recital debut, our operaticRead more Anna sings an impressive and difficult collection of arias from Mozart, Bellini, Donizetti, Gounod, Dvo?ák, Berlioz, Puccini, and Massenet and for the most part, comes off like a champion. Singing with controlled passion and verve, she does especially well in the Mozart and Dvo?ák. What an Ilia she would make on stage! As for her Donna Anna, it would be impossible to believe even a Lothario like Don Giovanni would forsake her. Anna Netrebko’s vocalism in the beautiful aria from Rusalka would melt hearts of stone. The slight edge in her creamy voice is just perfect for this music—less so, perhaps for the bright tones of Manon and Lucia. Though Netrebko is an accomplished coloratura, she is a little clumsy in the Lucia and Sonnambula arias. But as a born communicator, even her less-successful efforts still give pleasure. I have seen Anna Netrebko three times in the theater and can confirm that, if anything, she sounds better than on this disc, with a surprisingly large voice for such a slender figure. It is possible that better engineering might have removed the edge to her tone, which I did not hear in three theaters: The Academy of Music in Philadelphia, Royal Festival Hall in London, and the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Anna Netrebko is indeed a singer worth traveling for.